


Masochist candy

by DizzyTheKid



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, but there is sexual elements, i just don't like writing sexual elements as well so, its not just a smut, retagging because i want this story to be taken more seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 03:52:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12027543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DizzyTheKid/pseuds/DizzyTheKid
Summary: After Shiro is taken captive by the Galra empire he is brought to meet Lotor. Lotor is not the man he seems to be and is captivated by Shiro. Lotor is willing to take a chance for some insane reason, but the most surprising thing is that Shiro is insane enough to take that chance as well. (I'll probably add more to this but I don't want to spoil future chapters too much)TLDR;The new leader of the Galra empire couldn't be more interested in the black paladin.OrWhat the hell is Lotor thinking!





	1. Chapter 1

Lotor glared at the man sitting across the table from him. The Paladin of the black lion, he'd been told, before said man was dragged into the room in front of him.

The Paladin was a fighter, he would give him that much. Almost a minute had passed and he hadn't broken eye contact with Lotor. Any moment now though, the Paladin would be bowing his head in fear of him. Every other creature in the galaxy who had dared challenge him ended with the same fate, so why should the Black Paladin be any different?

Yet as Lotor continued to glare the Paladin down, the Paladin only looked back lifelessly and bored. It was insulting. The Black Paladin neither saw him as an enemy or someone he should be afraid of. The Paladin could at least acknowledge him for the warrior he is. Instead, the Paladin sat there staring at him as if he were no more than another sentinel. Lotor snarled slowly at the Paladin, showing off his pointed teeth and trying to earn a rise or some emotion out of him. At this point, most creatures would have been cowering under whatever they could find, trying to avoid whatever wrath he was channeling towards them. But the Paladin certainly wasn't like most creatures, he was unlike anything he had met before. He just sat there unfazed, continuing to stare through him.

A sickly thought came to mind, one that made his stomach churn and his eyes grow a little softer than they ought to be. No other creature had been able to tolerate him like the Paladin is. He had gained followers through loyalty and servants by fear. But the Paladin would never be loyal to his enemy, and would likely never succumb to his power as long as he lived. Lotor couldn't help but smirk, the Paladin would do just fine.

"Send him back to the prisons. I have no use for him right now." Lotor said, not breaking eye contact with the Paladin, "Keep him alone though, I don't want him to be harmed the next time I see him."

The guards nodded and escorted the Paladin out of the room.

One of the doctors approached him as soon as the Paladin was out of the room, shoving a clipboard onto the table. A small picture of the Paladin's face was attached to the papers, his prisoner number was at the top of the page, in brackets next to it was 'Shiro'.

So that was the Paladin's name. Lotor looked over the paper. There were too many numbers and graphs he was too lazy to decipher, and the doctor looked eager enough to explain it to him anyway. Lotor looked at him expectantly, giving him the queue to talk.

"Without disrespect your highness, the Paladin is a prized test subject. Not only did he survive the first operation to replace his right arm, we were preparing to replace his other before he escaped. I'm asking for your permission to continue where we last left off." The doctor said. His demeanor was different than those of the soldiers and sentinels Lotor was used to seeing. His back was hunched, probably from spending too many hours bent over a desk. The lab coat he wore was draped over a body that probably once had potential to be another foot soldier but was wasted. Then there were his eyes, more beady and hungry than some he'd seen over the years on battlefields. The idea of toying with life and it's structure clearly fascinated him more than any war could.

Lotor resisted the urge to rub his forehead in frustration, this doctor was truly a headache. He had other plans for this Shiro. Plans which did not involve making Shiro despise the Galra empire and Lotor anymore than he already did. Removing Shiro's other arm would make him more uncooperative and resilient. It would also make his own plans turn sour in more ways than one.

"No," Lotor says firmly. "You were responsible for him back then, and you let him escape. How can I trust you not to let it happen again? And, as the Black Paladin he has more reason to escape this time; as well, any power we give him will only be used against us. Find a new subject, it shouldn't be too hard. Find one who has already lost all their will to live, and any sense of purpose in their life. One who you will give a new life to under the Galra rule. Understood?"

"Yes, your majesty." The Doctor said and scampered off, leaving Lotor to ponder over his next move against Voltron.

 

* * *

 

A few days had passed since their first meeting. He knew it would look suspicious if he called for the Paladin any sooner, even now it might be too soon. He had to wait, but patience wasn't a strong point for him. Once he had a plan he liked to carry it through as immediately and efficiently as possible. Sometimes it did require a bit of waiting, biding time for the perfect opportunity.

But right now waiting only meant hiding from himself and the others around him, it was frustrating. He couldn't keep his mind off Shiro's unwavering face, looking at him so coldly, he didn't think he'd be able to wait much longer. He reasoned with himself, that it might be suspicious to request to see Shiro, but there was nothing wrong with checking up on his prisoners, and accidentally bumping into Shiro while doing so.

But right now waiting only meant hiding from himself and the others around him, it was frustrating. He couldn't keep his mind off Shiro's unwavering face, looking at him so coldly, he didn't think he'd be able to wait much longer. He reasoned with himself, that it might be suspicious to request to see Shiro, but there was nothing wrong with checking up on his prisoners, and accidentally bumping into Shiro while doing so.

Which is why Lotor found himself wandering the prison halls before he went to sleep that night. He'd paid little attention to the other prisoners on the ship, they would either die in the cells, die in the arena, or be shipped out to a work camp and die there. It was rather grim he would admit, but war wasn't supposed to be nice. He didn't know which cell was Shiro's, there was a chance he had already passed it, but maybe some stars would align and let him see Shiro before he left for the night.

He walked past a door that was slightly ajar and frowned. That wasn't good, he would have to deal with the guard in charge of this area for being so careless as to not only leave a door unlocked, but not notice a missing prisoner. He pushed the door open, expecting to find an empty room. Instead of a missing prisoner, he saw two guards towering above a prisoner and a small pool of blood on the floor. Even before he returned to the Galra empire, Lotor had known that the guards were abusing the prisoners. What he didn't expect, however, were the guards to disobey his direct orders and beat Shiro up.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lotor asked, letting his anger seep into his voice, he could have held back, but he didn't want to right now, these guards deserved every drop of his rage. They should have known better than to go against him.

"He was acting out of line Sir." One of the guards said, immediately stepping away from Shiro.

"He tried to attack us and escape." The other continued. It took Lotor everything he had not to roll his eyes at them,

"So not only did it take two of you to retrieve him, but you both felt the need to discipline him as well? Honestly, if one of you can't keep a single prisoner in line, how are you still on this ship? If I was you I would have already killed myself for being so useless and burdensome to the empire." Neither guard would look up to meet Lotor in the eye.

"Sorry, Sir." One guard mumbled out, and the other nodded in agreement.

"Get out of my sight," Lotor said. He glared at them as they left the room sheepishly, and with no visible injuries on them either, he noted. The Paladin had escaped before, and he had no doubt if he had really tried to escape again, as the guards claimed he had, he was sure both those guards wouldn't be alive to tell the tale. He'd read the reports, Shiro was a force to be reckoned with.

Lotor waited a moment and watched the two guards turn the corner before he stepped into the cell with Shiro and closed the door. He looked at Shiro. He was kneeling on the floor, resting on his forearms and his body shaking with every breath. His hands were clenched into fists and blood was splattered on the floor.

Lotor walked over to Shiro and stood over him, he could easily kick Shiro from this angle, but that wasn't why he was here. Instead, he sat down in front of Shiro and crossed his legs. He was being too bold, there were too many attacks he wouldn't be able to defend from in this position. The Black Paladin was too injured, he reassured himself, and smart to try attacking him right now. The paladin was smart enough to know his punches wouldn't pack any power in this state, and that a failed attempt to kill Lotor, would end up with a death sentence. Lotor watched Shiro as his back shuddered with every breath. Shiro held his head down, looking only to the ground below him.

He shouldn't be reaching his hand out to Shiro, and he shouldn't be holding Shiro's chin so gently, and he definitely shouldn't be lifting Shiro's head to make his eyes meet his own. But yet here he was, doing it anyway. The black Paladin. There was something about him, something so alluring and dangerous. Something that made Lotor want him so badly.

When Shiro met his eyes, they were almost a foot away from his own. He could see them clearly now. They were grey, like the grey of clouds threatening thunderstorms, or the sunset on a cloud covered day. He didn't allow himself the pleasure of looking for much longer though, instead, he darted his eyes to Shiro's cheek. It was already a shade of red, not to mention a graze that could only have been caused by Galra claws.

Lotor hardened his grip on Shiro's chin and pushed Shiro's head away violently. He didn't want Shiro to get the wrong, or right, idea about him. Not yet anyway.

Lotor sighed, that bruise on Shiro's face wasn't going to heal quickly, and that was annoying. He had been looking forward to admiring Shiro's face for a little longer. He uncrossed his legs and pushed himself off of the ground. He could feel Shiro carefully monitoring his movements, Shiro's body tense and ready for the impact of a punch. He was acting pathetic. Lotor noticed the hand which had held Shiro's chin was covered in blood, probably from Shiro's mouth which blood was now trickling down from. Either a split lip or broken tooth, he couldn't care less. He wiped his hand on his clothes and looked down at Shiro. Shiro had settled on glaring at Lotor's foot and had one hand wrapped around his stomach. How much had those guards hurt him?

Just then an idea came to Lotor's mind, an idea of revenge, one that made him sick to the stomach afraid to say. He never thought he would be this scared as a ruler, people always ended up doing as he asked eventually. However, he didn't rule over the prisoners they could do as they pleased knowing whatever consequence would be laid on them would be coming one day or another anyway. But now that the idea was in his head, he really wanted to see it through.

"Punch me," Lotor said, not giving himself the chance to rationalize why this was such a bad idea. Shiro froze for a second and looked up at him, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Punch me." Lotor said again with more confidence, "I know how much you hate me, and all the Galra like me. So I'm giving you a free taste of revenge. Punch me as hard as you can."

Shiro wiped the blood from his mouth, and stood up, favoring his right leg, and glared at Lotor.

If Galra could blush like other species could, Lotor could have sworn his face was as bright as his blood right now. That glare of Shiro's was so intense, so fierce and single tracked. A single thought running through the head of a man who thinks too much. And that single thought was him. It made his stomach churn and chest tighten as he anticipated the paladin's next words.

"Are you mocking me." Shiro spat out. Shiro's voice was deeper than he'd expected it to be, but he could imagine his voice also being nicer if the Paladin had wanted it to be that way. "If I punch you, you will say I attacked you, and who knows what the punishment is for hurting you."

Lotor smiled, he lay spider webs everywhere he walked, waiting for someone else to get trapped, and Shiro had walked into one specially made for him.

"And if you don't, you're going against a direct order of mine. I can assure you, your punishment for not following my orders will be much worse than whatever will happen to the guards who beat you up."

Shiro glared at him, realizing he was stuck.

"How do I know it won't be worse than if I punch you."

"You have my word."

That was a turning point. He would see how much trust Shiro was willing to give him at this moment.

"Your word is nothing to me," Shiro said hesitantly. Interesting. Shiro was sure in everything else he'd done so far, but now he was finally wavering. That was fine though, Lotor could just keep coming back until he got what he wanted.

"Ok, Shiro." He said, letting a sly smile spread across his face, "but please do as I ask next time." With that, he left, not looking back to Shiro, and trying hard not to let himself go soft over Shiro's injuries.

He returned to his room for the night and lay on his bed. Here he was alone, and here he could think about whatever he wanted. And today, all he could think about was Shiro. He had wanted Shiro to punch him, and wondered what it would have felt like if Shiro had. Did he hate himself? Wishing that somebody would hurt him, and actually enjoying it? Or maybe being in control for so long had desensitized him to a position of dominance and power, there was nothing to gain over the humiliation of others, but the humiliation of himself...

 

* * *

 

Shiro, on the other hand, was terrified, what was Lotor thinking? Giving an order that was practically a death sentence, and threatened the same thing if he didn't do it. And like hell he could trust Lotor's word. But Lotor had been mad at the guards for hurting him, he had thought if anything, a sadist like Lotor would enjoy seeing him beat up like that. Lotor had also lingered when he didn't need to. Lotor's touch had initially been so gentle on his chin, and he'd ignored the blood that got on his hand. But then Lotor pushed him away and ordered him to punch him? What was Lotor wanting from him? All he could do was wait for the punishment to come.

But it never came, and two days after the incident there was no indication that any punishment was coming. Maybe he would have been safe actually punching Lotor as well. Either way, he dreaded the next time he would come face to face with that man.

 

* * *

 

Lotor waited a week before he went down to the prisons again. He needed to prove to Shiro that it was safe to trust him, that nothing bad was going to happen. He went during the lunch hour of that day. There were fewer guards to worry about or get in his way. He'd also given himself the day off from chasing Voltron. He'd been chasing it closely for the past couple days, but they'd finally ended up giving him the slip. Shiro was part of Voltron though, how had the team dragged in a new member so fast to replace him? Admitted they were a bumbling mess without him though. It was only a matter of time before Voltron figured itself out and is once again at full strength, with or without Shiro.

Lotor knew the guard schedules, he was the one who had remade them once he'd returned to the Galra Empire. There was no chance of anyone getting in or out without being noticed by a guard, but he knew a couple secrets implemented specifically by himself. Loopholes which would let him navigate the whole ship in secret as long as he was careful. He slipped by the guards with ease, and once he arrived at Shiro's cell, he gave himself a moment to compose himself before slipped inside, avoiding a guard who had just turned the corner. He closed the door as lightly as he could, before he turned around and saw Shiro standing, ready to fight him. Cute.

"Have any of the guards been bothering you recently?" Lotor asked, dusting off the bed and sitting down on it. Why was he letting himself be so open around Shiro, a man who wouldn't hesitate to kill him. Shiro lowered his hands cautiously but his body language showed he was still on guard.

"No," Shiro said hesitantly. Why was Shiro being so cautious? Where was the fire in his eyes that he'd seen last time he visited him? That unfazed stare he'd originally been intrigued by.

"Are you getting enough to eat? Enough people die here as it is already."

Shiro relaxed a little more and nodded.

"Good," Lotor said. He was stalling, he knew what he wanted to ask, but whenever he considered saying it he felt as if he would throw up. "What about you? Are your injuries healing ok?"

He could see in the dim light of the room that Shiro's face had bruised pretty badly, blues and yellows covering the lower left side of his face, and was that dried blood on his clothes?

"I'm doing fine," Shiro said curtly. He leaned against the wall and folded his arms, a flicker of anger flew through his eyes. Perfect.

Lotor got up and strode over to Shiro stopping almost five feet away. Shiro glared up at him but didn't move from his position.

"Please, Shiro." Lotor said. any other person and this would have been humiliating. But for Shiro, the humiliation was worth it, almost welcome, "Please punch me."

Shiro unfolded his arms and without hesitation, punched him in the jaw. He wasn't sure if he could have blocked a punch that fast even if he had wanted to. He felt everything that punch had to offer. It stung at first, and his head hurt, he quickly rolled his tongue over his teeth, checking that they were all still there. Thank stars they were or else that one would have been difficult to explain to anybody, or maybe not, he was known to fight a lot. He tenderly brought his hand up and touched where Shiro had hit him. It was wet, and a quick look at his hand confirmed he was bleeding. That metal arm could really do some damage, even if the power was blocked to it inside the cell. He looked up from his hand to Shiro who was glaring at him with a fiery passion, no remorse for his actions. Lotor smiled a little, which hurt more than he would have imagined it to. They had matching bruises now. His face felt like it was burning, the pain throbbing.

This was the relief he'd been looking for, the sharp pain which gave him so much pleasure. His legs gave up from under him, he fell to his knees and looked up to Shiro. He was such an embarrassment to himself and the whole empire, to succumb so easily to his enemy.

"Kick me." He said, his voice not as authoritative and commanding as he would have liked it to be, but it didn't matter anymore, Shiro had already punched him.

"You like this kind of stuff?" Shiro asked degradingly, his harsh glare sent a shiver down his spine. He didn't reply, but he knew Shiro was smart enough to know what his silence meant. Shiro squatted down next to him to be at his eye level,

"I never would have taken the son of Zarkon to be a masochistic wimp."

Shiro was trying to get under his skin. This shocked him, all reports he'd heard about Shiro was that he was kind and loyal. Yet this, he'd never heard of Shiro acting like this before, and he liked it. Fortunately, Shiro's piercing gaze didn't debilitate all of his brain functions, and he was able to smirk and reply,

"I didn't take the leader of Voltron to be a sadist who flirts with his enemy."

That earned him a slap. It was a harsh one, whipping his head to the side, but the sting felt good.

Shiro stood up but Lotor made no move to do the same.

"What do you want from me?" Shiro asked after a moment of silence.

"What do you want?" He replied, looking at Shiro intently.

"Freedom?" Shiro asked.

"I can't give you that, you're a prisoner of the Galra Empire." He stated, there was still a war going on outside of this prison cell, he was smart enough to not forget about that while fulfilling his own desires.

"Then why not command me to do anything you want," Shiro said, looking at him curiously.

"What's the point in telling you to hurt me?"

"Ok," Shiro paused and seemed to think for a moment. "Be mine until I escape."

"What?" He said, shocked.

"Be mine. I can do what I want to you, and when I'm with you, you will obey me."

Lotor hesitated for a moment, he hadn't expected Shiro to be this bold. Not only did he like it, he'd only dreamed that something like this could happen.

"Is there a problem with that? It's the only way we'll both get what we want." Shiro said, impatient for his answer.

Lotor nodded his head,

"I accept your offer."

"Good," Shiro said and kicked him to the floor. Shiro's foot connecting with his shoulder, throwing his whole body off balance. He pushed himself up to his hands and knees, but before he had a chance to get up, Shiro put a foot on his back, and pushed him onto his stomach and sat on top of him. Shiro grabbed his hair, wrapped it around his hand, waiting a moment before pulling it.

"Ah!" Lotor let out, he knew his long hair was a weakness, something that would hinder him in battle, but it was also a symbol of his power. He had long hair because he didn't need to worry about anybody pulling it.

"I've been wanting to do that to you since I first saw you," Shiro whispered into his ear.

"I've been wanting you to do that to me since I first laid eyes on you." He replied, and Shiro pulled his hair back harder. Lotor could feel the anger in his grip.

It just occurred to him that the Lunch hour would be done soon, very soon. Guards would be returning to their posts, and that would make it near impossible for him to get back to his room without being seen.

"I need to go." Lotor strained through Shiro's grip,

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"Well," Shiro said and let go of his hair, his head fell to the ground, and his hair begging to be pulled again. Shiro let his hand run down Lotor's back, past his hip and onto his leg "here's a little something for the road." Shiro said and squeezed the inside of his thigh, dangerously close to his crotch. He fought off the urge to gasp for more and untangled himself from Shiro, trying not to meet his eyes. Just before he reached for the door handle to leave, Shiro grabbed his wrist and turned him around. Pinning his hand above his head and holding his chin the same way he had done for Shiro a week ago.

"Don't forget who owns you." Shiro whispered, "and don't forget who I am." Shiro was centimeters away from his face now. His glare sending a chill down his back. Shiro let go of his wrist and turned, letting Lotor leave.

Lotor returned to his room quickly and covered up the bruise and slap mark with whatever cosmetics he could find. It wouldn't go down well if he had seemingly got hurt out of nowhere, people would talk, and talk meant people would want to know what had happened. He looked over his handiwork in the mirror, there was nothing a little makeup could hide.

The rest of the day Lotor pushed down every thought of what had happened at lunch, he wouldn't let himself think about it. He had a job to do, and he was going to do it right and not get distracted by his own desires.

But when he did return to his room at the end of the day, he couldn't help but smile. Had Shiro really said all those things to him? Did Shiro really have that dark twisted side to him?

He thought back to Shiro whispering in his ear and that lethal smile. He felt his face go warm and tucked it under his pillow, imagining all the other things Shiro could do to him. This was so fucked up. But they were both enjoying themselves, so there couldn't be too much wrong with this whole situation.

 

* * *

 

Shiro waited for whatever punishment would come to him. He'd really done it this time, nobody could get away with punching the Prince like that, or pulling his hair. He almost wanted the punishment to come, to knock out any chance of Lotor actually being serious about what he'd said. That Lotor would willingly let him hurt him with no consequences. But the same as last time, no one came, and no one talked. He should be focusing on escaping as soon as he could, but thanks to Lotor, he hadn't even been outside his cell since he arrived. No opportunities to memorize the guards' routines which, according to the footsteps outside his door, have changed since he was last here. Even if Lotor was serious, even if they... He would still need to focus on getting back to his team, they needed him, and at the hands of a manipulator like Lotor... on second thought, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to mess with Lotor and throw him off his game. It would give Voltron the time to regroup, and time to destroy the Galra empire once and for all, with or without him.

 

* * *

 

Lotor waited three days before he allowed himself to see Shiro again. If word got out about this arrangement with Shiro, he was done for. Maybe he could excuse Shiro as a plaything, but anyone in their right mind wouldn't believe that he had actually been able to tame the man. Lotor had done a lot of thinking over the past few days as well. Voltron was getting stronger as every second passed, even without Shiro they were a force not to be taken lightly. What had his father been thinking when he went after Voltron? That selfish man only concentrated on the black lion, it wouldn't even accept him as a Paladin anymore. It wasn't a surprise though, Zarkon wasn't a leader anymore, he was a tyrant.

Lotor stopped himself before he thought too much about his past, and how much he truly despised his father. He had to focus on the present now, he couldn't be hooked up on his parents' mistakes, he had to right them himself. First off, instead of capturing Voltron he needed something strong enough to destroy it. All he had to do was set out a trail of crumbs for Voltron to follow and get what he needed. 

This was giving him a headache, and not a pleasant one. Despite all his common sense, he found himself longing for Shiro at the end of the day. He just wanted to fall asleep next to someone and not feel alone for once, but falling asleep in front of Shiro was practically asking to be killed. He supposed other methods of satisfaction would satisfy him for now though.

He sent a robot guard to retrieve Shiro for him, they didn't have the cognitive ability to read emotions, so it was easier to hide his true desires and avoid awkward looks and questions, as well as any gossiping the next day. Shiro would be able to easily take down one of the robots, but if he was smart, he wouldn't. He should know what was happening even if the robot didn't say anything, he was a smart kid.

Shiro was shoved into the room and pushed down by the robot until he was kneeling in front of Lotor. Lotor dismissed the robot, and it gave him a small nod before leaving the room. Shiro's wrists and ankles were bound together by Galra technology cuffs, amazing stuff really. The length of the chain could change, as well as its connection point on the cuff, it could be flexible or stiff. A must-have in any large prison. The cuffs themselves could connect to each other and adjust in size according to what it was attached to, perfect for multi-species imprisonment. He wondered what kind of technology could have been made if the Galra hadn't focused so much on conquering the entire universe, but rather, making it a better place.

"Take these off me now," Shiro growled at him, taking him away from his thoughts. He belonged to Shiro now, and anything Shiro said he had to obey. There was probably some moral line he wouldn't allow himself to cross, but the only thing that concerned him is what it would take to get there.

He took the cuffs off Shiro, and as Shiro stretched out his wrists he pushed a chair to the door to stop anyone from walking in on them. They would need something better than that for next time. He turned to see Shiro rubbing his wrist and standing up straight. This was a bad idea, he just released his biggest threat without a second thought, what if Shiro had been tricking him this whole time to get what he wanted. Was his arm even still deactivated in his room? Shiro picked up a cuff and twirled it on his finger,

"So why did you call me here?"

Shiro asked, a and eyed him suspiciously. Shiro probably thought this was a trap as well. It would seem ridiculous that his greatest enemy would offer himself up so easily, yet here he was.

"I figured you'd want to check on your property," Lotor said and knelt on the floor, he was Shiro's now. There had been no contract signed, no blood oath, but he wanted his word to be enough for Shiro. He had to prove it in this moment right now, that he was Shiro's.

Shiro smirked and walked up to him. He looked down at Lotor and put a hand on his cheek and stroked it with his thumb. Shiro hooked a thumb into his mouth, and pulled his lip back,

"That's a nasty pair of fangs you've got there," Shiro said, examining his teeth. Lotor kept his hands behind his back, he didn't want to stop Shiro.

Shiro pulled his hand out of Lotor's mouth, wiping it on his pants. He tilted Lotor's chin up and to the right, examining where he had punched him the other day. It was still covered in makeup from earlier that day.

"That's healed nicely," Shiro said. Lotor sensed a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"It hasn't." He said quietly, not making eye contact with Shiro, "I'm just good at covering it up."

Shiro laughed, letting go of Lotor's chin, and it was music to his ears. This was the first time he'd seen Shiro genuinely smiling since he arrived. Shiro's eyes grew soft and he could almost feel the smile warm his own skin. No wonder this man was the leader of Voltron, and no wonder he had not only survived the arena but became "The Champion" as well.

But as quickly as the smile had come, it left and Shiro's eyes narrowed on Lotor. Shiro brought his leg up and kicked him in the ribs. He felt his stomach lurch as he fell backwards to the floor, he used his hands to break his fall and his legs sprawled out in front of him. If this was the battlefield he would already be standing up again and preparing to attack. It wasn't a battlefield, so he stayed down and waited for Shiro to make his next move.

 

* * *

 

Shiro turned away from Lotor, he had to compose himself, lashing out like that wouldn't get him anywhere, even though Lotor did seem to be smiling. He didn't want to check to see if his arm was working, that would likely get him sent back to his cell and not allowed in Lotor's personal quarters anymore. He eyed the cuffs on the floor and had an idea.

He picked up one of the cuffs and tossed it in his hand before walking up to where Lotor was sat on the floor, he hadn't moved since he'd kicked him. He knelt down next to Lotor and held out his hand, hoping Lotor would understand what he wanted. Lotor slowly and hesitantly extended his hand and put it on Shiro's, and Shiro wasted no time snapping the cuff onto Lotor's wrist. He grabbed Lotor by the cuff and dragged him over to where the rest were lying discarded on the floor. Lotor stumbled to his feet as Shiro pulled him across the room, managing to retain some dignity by not letting himself be completely dragged over there. Shiro picked up another cuff and Lotor already had his other wrist outstretched for it.

He turned Lotor around and looked at the buttons on the cuffs, six in total. One with two circles next to each other, one with a straight line, a curved line, a plus, a minus, and an 'x'. Any idiot could figure out the meaning, but like everything in Galra bases, they could only be used by the Galra. He pressed the button with two circles on each cuff with his Galra arm and sure enough, they snapped onto each other like magnets. He attached a third to the bedpost, picked Lotor up by the cuffs and walked him over to the bed. He pushed Lotor to the ground and attached the cuffs to the one sitting on the bedpost. Shiro stood back and admired his work.

Before him, he had the heir of the Galra empire sitting helplessly in front of him. It would be too easy to leave Lotor like this and escape, maybe even hold him as a hostage. But this was the Son of Zarkon, who had controlled the universe for almost 10,000 years. He likely had a lot more up his sleeve than he let anyone know about. Shiro might as well just play along for now.

He picked up the fourth cuff, looking from Lotor to the cuff, trying to think of something he could do with this cuff. All it took was a glance at Lotor's exposed neck for a smirk he could not help, to rise to his lips. He strode over to Lotor and slipped the cuff onto his neck. He really looked like a pet now.

 

* * *

 

The cuff sat snugly around his neck, almost like a collar on some of the beasts his men kept. Shiro hooked his finger underneath the collar and tugged it towards him. He was close enough to kiss Shiro. Shiro's lips were so thin and pink, like a berry that wasn't yet ripe. He wondered if they'd taste that way as well. He bit his lip and looked into Shiro's eyes, a thunderstorm brewing.

"How do you like this, pretty boy." Shiro murmured into his ear. He felt his chest swell with longing, he might have even drooled over Shiro's voice if he didn't have any self-control.

"Mm-hmm." He hummed, afraid that speaking would reveal just how much he was enjoying this. He was scared, Shiro had him tied up and now he couldn't move, even if he wanted to. Shiro could kill him, then and there if he wanted to, and finish off the royal Galra bloodline. Shiro could leave him there, hot and bothered, while he escaped, leaving the guards to wonder what the hell had happened to their prince. He was weak in this moment, weaker than he had ever been before, he had no power over Shiro. But it would have always been that way. Even if Shiro had remained a prisoner, he would have fought and rebelled against everyone that held him down. Much like himself.

No. He was nothing like Shiro. And Shiro was nothing like him. They were just two men on other sides of the same war, nothing similar about them. But that didn't stop Shiro from leaning in closer and nibbling on his collarbone, and that didn't stop his own labored breaths as he enjoyed it. They were two sides on the same coin.

 

* * *

 

Shiro had unbuttoned Lotor's shirt, leaving his chest open and exposed. Shiro hadn't been gentle either, he'd bit and pulled at every piece of his skin. Shiro's hands pushed down firmly on his hips to keep him from squirming too much. His teeth weren't sharp enough to break the skin, but he could still feel his chest burning where Shiro had touched him.

 

* * *

 

Shiro pushed off of him, his breath heavy, Lotor couldn't control his panting as well. Shiro pulled a hand through his hair, it looked soft and flowing. And that white patch seemed to stick out from the rest, was it natural? No, he remembered seeing some pictures from when Shiro had first become champion, his hair was all black back then. It must have been something that had happened while he was captured. Whatever it was, it mustn't have been good to make a large portion of his hair go white. It was probably best not to ask about it. After all the doctor did seem to have no remorse towards removing Shiro's second arm. Where did the first end up anyway? Probably another question best left unasked.

He looked back to Shiro's face and saw him staring. Shit, had he been staring too?

He turned away and Shiro came towards him. He closed his eyes and braced himself for a punch or slap, but neither came. Instead, his cuffs were taken off one by one and dropped onto the floor next to him. That was clearly Shiro's way of saying they were done for the night. Lotor buttoned up his shirt and picked up the cuffs. Shiro turned around and let Lotor put the cuffs back on his wrists and ankles. 

He didn't want to leave Shiro like this though, he needed to thank him somehow. He pulled something out his draw, something he'd forgotten he had a long time ago. He pushed it into Shiro's hand, hoping to get his gratitude through to him somehow.

"Guard!" He shouted. He walked over to his bed and sat down, pretending he couldn't care less about what happened to Shiro. The guard entered the room, ignoring Shiro and looking straight to Lotor.

"I'm done with the prisoner, return him to the cells." He said and studied his hand, wondering if he was acting careless enough to make it believable.

"Understood. Anything else you need Sir?" The guard said, picking up Shiro by the cuffs.

"Bring me a drink when you're done." He said and the guard left, dragging Shiro with it.

Once the door closed, Lotor rushed to the bathroom to relieve himself. Shiro was a damn good tease, how could he do all that without going any further. How was Shiro able to hurt him so much, but only left him craving more.

Lotor caught his face in the mirror, a large portion of the makeup had been wiped off. When had that happened? Thank stars the guard was a robot. There were tear stains down his face as well. Fuck, had he been crying, if he had he hadn't realized it. His brain had just been in a wave of desire, not caring about anything else. 

He sat down underneath the mirror and undid his pants. He imagined that Shiro was there with him, telling him what to do. It wasn't the same, but it would do for now.

 

* * *

 

He cleaned himself up and returned to his room. Just moments before there was a knock at his door.

"Come in." He said, trying to act like he wasn't a flustered mess in the bathroom a few moments ago. A guard came into his room and placed a glass of water on a dresser nearby the door.

"Send me the files regarding the earth prisoners," Lotor said offhandedly to the guard

"Understood." Was all it said before leaving the room.

Though his heart was on Shiro, he couldn't let Shiro distract him from the goal at hand. He had to find a way to stop Voltron, or at least find a way to fight against it somehow. Maybe if he understood the nature of the pilots a bit better, it would be easier to manipulate them to do what he wanted. After all the conquering he had done, he'd learned that many species thought in relatively the same way. They wanted to live, they wanted to be free, and they wanted power. How much more complicated could humans be?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't edited up to my usual standards, but I'd rather post it than spend ages editing it so it's perfect. If alot of people like it than I'll go back in and edit so it's more readable, but otherwise it'll stay the way it is.

There had been three prisoners taken from earth just under a year ago. They were taken from the outer most planet of their Solar system and were originally documented under that planet. It was clarified by the prisoners that they were from a planet closer to the sun of their system. The Galra didn't care about details, but someone must have been concerned enough to make the correction.

Earth, as the prisoners had called it, had no quintessence. That was why the planet, and it's life, had been ignored up until now. The people of earth did not realize how lucky they were that their planet was useless to Haggar. They had not been subjected to the Galra Empire's rule before Shiro and his companions had been captured.

Two of the humans looked similar. The oldest of the three no longer had a location attached, he was likely lost among the prison files. He could be at any one of the Galra's numerous prisons. The second, who had called himself Matt, had escaped with the help of some rebels. Rebel breakouts aren't unusual so no drastic measures were made to find him the escapee. With only three records to go off of, the people of earth seem to be a resilient species that don't take well to imprisonment. The third human captured was Shiro. He had been the first one to talk, offering peace like an idiot. He had been too naïve to see he wasn't the threatening one in that situation, rather his captors were the ones he should fear. There was several pages of medical procedures and testing that the Galra has done to Shiro. The file ended when he escaped a year later with the help of rebels and surprisingly returned as a Paladin of Voltron. Only then to recaptured again after Zarkon had been defeated by Voltron.

Lotor sighed and flipped through the stack of papers sitting at the desk in his room. He was getting nowhere with this. Humans were dumb creatures like all the others, maybe even worse. A brief history the prisoners had given about the earth made him understand that earth people only pretend to be nice and are a violent species underneath. At least the Galra didn't hide what they wanted, humans did. Shiro was likely hiding his intentions and messing with Lotor. Of course he would. When the other prisoners whispered about Shiro, it was about his heroism and compassion. Lotor had only seen glimpses of that character, he was more accustomed to Shiro's rage and hatred. Which was the real Shiro? Which was the mask he put on to please others? Maybe both facades were fake and Shiro had even more going on in his mind than he let anybody else know. On the other hand, Shiro was the black Paladin, somebody made to lead people to freedom...

Lotor pushed himself away from his desk and made his way over to his bed, letting himself fall onto it. This was all too confusing for him, he didn't want to have to think about what Shiro was plotting. He wanted Shiro to be honest with him, he wanted Shiro to trust him. He knew Shiro wouldn't stay forever but he hoped they could both look past the war and... Lotor wasn't sure what he wanted past that.

The Galra had a straight forward way of thinking. They all had feelings, some were well at hiding them, but their true feelings would prevail at the end of the day. Loyal to a fault, the rebellious would rebel, and the angered would fight. Humans seemed to hide everything and would willingly abandon their own kind to better themselves. What did Shiro want from him? What did he want from Shiro?

An onslaught of thoughts rushed through his head: the war, his enemies, the friends he had made, his mistakes, his goals, and the person that disrupted what little harmony he had, Shiro. Lotor wasn't a true heir to the Galra empire. He knew he wasn't as brutal or unwavering as other Galra. His Altean ancestry made him a pacifist. He'd rather end this war than battle when he knew he would loose. He couldn't end the war though, he was only the stuck-up prince the Galra saw him as. He was well trained with a sword, raised to be a warrior. However, that didn't stop him taking advantage of the lavish and lazy life of a prince. He wanted the war to stop, but he couldn't be bothered to do it himself. There was nothing to like about himself.

Lotor sat at the edge of his bed and rubbed his head with his hand, feeling a slight head ache coming on. He was agitated and empty. He felt the need to feel something, to fill up the emptiness inside of him. He considered seeing Shiro again, but he knew that would only make him feel worse. Instead he took his sword and made his way to the arena. He hope to numb his mind with the strain of fighting and not think about Shiro anymore.

* * *

 

Shiro hadn't been sitting in his cell the whole time twiddling him thumbs. He had a purpose; to defend the universe. Even if he was stuck there, the least he could do was be prepared to escape the first chance he got. Sit ups and push ups had become part of his daily routine, as well as any other exercise he could think of. He was in the middle of his set for the day when a pair of foot steps walked towards his door.

There was nothing unusual about that, guards walked past all the time. Except it was the wrong time for the guards. He scooted onto the bed and pretended to look bored as the footsteps grew closer. His stomach twisted and it told him it could be Lotor again, appearing unannounced. His brain told him that it wasn't, the footsteps weren't as careful and it wasn't the lunch break, which apparently was the only time Lotor would dare sneak down. Maybe Lotor was calling him to his room again. That likely wasn't happening either, the footsteps were slightly uneven meaning it wasn't a robot. He hoped Lotor was smart enough to use robots instead of people. Robots could be reprogrammed, people couldn't. The door opened and a young looking Galra soldier smiled almost giddily at him.

"Are you ready to reclaim your title, Champion?"

* * *

 

The arena had buzzed when he first got there. People watched him fight. He wielded his sword skillfully, not breaking a sweat. Prisoner after challenger came, hoping to best Lotor at whatever game he was playing. There were murmurs, pointed fingers, and nods of agreement, the whole crowd seemed to want something but were to afraid to ask. Lotor couldn't find something to push him to his limits and make him forget about everything. All the prisoners had been weak and were easily killed or fell to the ground begging before Lotor even had a chance to blink. The challengers were more work, but the Brutish fighting style wore them out quickly. In a crowd they were effective, swinging at anything in sight, hoping to hit at least one person unexpectedly, but one on one, Lotor was sure he'd always win. The only sweat he'd broken was from the heat of so many people crowed to see him fight.

He finished off his current fight. She was a young female prisoner who had kicked and clawed with everything she had. Unwilling to die or yield to her enemy. She now struggled against the soul of Lotor's boot pushing her face to the ground, unable to pull it off because of a hand she had lost in the fight no less than a minute ago. Lotor waved the robots over and they dragged her away kicking and screaming with tears streaming down her face.

"Have her see a doctor, and make sure she eats well tonight." Lotor said to the guard who lingered to pick up he hand. "She has a strong resolve." Lotor added on before the guard can question his reasoning. Lotor felt sorry for her, but he couldn't let it show so he pushed her to the back of his mind into the pile of all the other things he wasn't allowed to think about.

The crowd grew quiet. Lotor saw some one pointing behind him, and whispered to the person next to them. It was probably some big shot who would come to regret challenging Lotor. He twirled his sword in his hand and turned nonchalantly to the gate behind him. Two guards stood at the side and the inside was shrouded in darkness. A tuft of white hair was the first thing he saw and he knew immediately it was Shiro.

Shiro was escorted into the arena. Lotor felt his chest clutch and his heart beat faster. He couldn't let anything show, if anyone even thought he was afraid of Shiro, the whole empire would fall apart. Shiro was brought partway into the arena, before one of the guards took off his cuffs. They left and closed the gate behind them, sealing the two in, probably not wanting to risk Shiro escaping. Shiro stood his ground and glared at Lotor, making his blood run cold.

"My, my. The black Paladin." Lotor said mockingly, these people only wanted a show, and it likely some of them had been fans of the Campion before he'd escaped. Shiro shuffled into a fighting stance and raised his fists, no doubt he was used to this.

"Is it not unfair that I am the only one with a sword?" Lotor said. He was still Shiro's, if that agreement meant anything outside personal quarters. He still wanted Shiro to himself. Shiro glared at him and let his arm light up, showing Lotor he had all he needed to fight him. 

"Then so be it." Lotor said and pointed his sword at Shiro. Now wasn't the time to think about their agreement, he couldn't let his emotions get in the way of this fight.

They stood for a moment, neither moving. Lotor was used to waiting for the brash first moves of his opponents, however, Shiro didn't want a fight. Lotor took the initiative and leap forward. He brought his sword down to Shiro's right side and a large clash of metal echoed around the arena. Shiro had blocked Lotor's blow with his arm. Shiro uppercut with his left, but Lotor took a step back in time to miss the punch.

Every attack Lotor had, Shiro had a defence for. There were no foolish holes in his defence to exploit, and certainly no openings in his attacks. Every movement was intentional and with purpose, no wonder he had earned the nickname 'the champion'. They danced around one another, Lotor trying to force an opening in Shiro's defence. Shiro barely evaded each slash of Lotor's sword, and retaliated with his Galra arm. Lotor could only imagine how powerful Shiro would be if the Galra had continued their experiments. There was no doubt the Galara empire had made a mistake when they choose Shiro, of course he was a fighter and would survive the operation, but the idiots in charge never though too far into the future. Now their promising 'greatest weapon' would become the reason of their own demise. It was their fault anyway, let their own creations kill them, it's what they deserved. Lotor lunged at Shiro, he must have been too lost in thought, because Shiro grabbed his wrist and pulled him close, right into his glowing fist. Lotor felt Shiro's fist collide against the light armour he was wearing. Lotor kicked Shiro away from him only stumbling back a couple yards, but it was enough. He had the advantage of being taller, though he wasnt as tall as some of the other Galra fighters, he was still a head taller than Shiro.

Lotor swirled his sword in his hand. He snarled at Shiro, he wouldn't let him get away with punching him like that. He had to give credit where it was due though, few people had ever managed to successfully strike him. Shiro cracked his neck in a rugged gesture. He looked as feral as an animal and charged at Lotor, his arm out and ready to attack. Shiro's swing came down powerful and at Lotor's neck, but he knew it was coming and was fully prepared to block it. Lotor grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands and used it to stop Shiro's arm from reaching his neck. Sparks flew as the two connected. He was't prepared for Shiro's other hand to grab his hair. His hair was pulled down and he fell with it. Shiro's knee met with his head and he hissed in pain. He could feel the side of his head burning where Shiro was pulling him, his eyes watered involuntarily in pain as he gritted his teeth. Lucky for Lotor, Shiro wouldn't have pulled him in so close if he knew how strong he was. Lotor wrapped his arms around Shiro and pushed him to the ground, letting himself fall with Shiro since Shiro still had a tight grip on his hair. As they fell Lotor pressed his knee into Shiro's forearm, forcing him to let go of his hair. Lotor used the momentum of the fall to roll away from Shiro. He was up in a second and turned to see Shiro standing up as well, a couple stray strands of long white hair floating out of his hand.

Lotor brought his sword down on Shiro with all his strength, this was likely the only time Shiro would be this open for an attack. His sword was heading right towards Shiro's shoulder, when Shiro stopped it at the last second, holding the sword tight in his Galra hand. His hand glowed and his sword splintered off under Shiro's grip. He pulled what was left of his sword back and looked at it in shock, it had barley even been scratched in all it's years of use. But Shiro had been able to break it. Shiro came for him, swinging his right fist for a punch to the gut. Lotor dropped on one leg, avoiding the punch, and swung his other leg around, taking one of Shiro's feet from under him, causing Shiro to stumble backwards. Lotor tossed his sword away. It was useless now that it was practically falling apart in his hands.

He'd learnt hand to hand combat from his team members, the Galara were only interested in weaponizing, but the girls on his team knew how to look after themselves without any fancy technology, and they taught Lotor what they knew. Lotor knew where weak points were, how to hit so it hurts, how to fake punches, and how to make the real ones count. He knew how to get out of the way if he needed to as well. He didn't like to brag but he saw himself above the rest of his species, he was the only one who had fine tuned his body and mind to fight by himself. He learnt everything he could to please his father who seemed disgusted by the fact that he was even alive. He trained to please his mother who he wasn't even sure remembered his name. He trained for himself, to prove he was better than anyone there, that him, and only him, could rule the empire.

They skirmished back and forth, Lotor kicked and punched, closer up he realized, Shiro was more vounrable, he had the height advantage, and Shiro seemed to be more comfortable blocking than dodging, which left more openings than a sword had. When Shiro fought back however, it took everything Lotor had to avoid that deadly galra hand of his, as well as blocking punches from his other arm. Shiro seemed to favour a strong stance, opposite to himself. As time went by, he could feel the sweat drip down his face, and Shiro, though showing no sign he was exhausted gritted his teeth more than he had earlier. Lotor sent a kick straight too Shiro's stomach that sent him staggering backwards and clutch his stomach for a moment, which was all the time Lotor needed to tackle Shiro to the ground.

They rolled until Lotor made sure he was ontop and Shiro was facing the ground. Straddling his back, Lotor put a hand on the back of Shiro's neck, pushing his head down. Shiro pulled his arms up and began to push up from the ground. Lotor wobbled, not expecting such stregnth from Shiro, but his reflexes had always been fast. He kicked Shiro's left hand out, causing Shiro to collapse to the floor once again. Lotor stepped on Shiro's hand before he had the chance to push up again. He pinned Shiro's right behind his back, and kept Shiro's neck pinned to the ground. He panted for a second, his head finally clearing from the adrenalin of the fight. Shiro writhed under Lotor, trying to get him off whichever way he could, but Lotor held him firm to the ground. He had won this battle.

"Guards" Lotor said. Two guards approached him, and Shiro had stopped trying to escape, the winner of this fight had already been decided. He took his hand off Shiro's neck and saw a black chord, his heart shuddered and his stomach felt like it had collapsed in on itself. Was he really wearing it. Had he been wearing it the whole fight? He couldn't let his surprise show, Shiro had the thing tucked under his shirt, not wanting anyone to see. It was foolish of Shiro to wear it in the arena where someone could have saw it. Lotor caught himself before he smiled. He stepped off Shiro and watched him be cuffed and escorted out the arena with a guard on each arm. The crowd cheered at the exhilarating fight that had just took place, it had probably been the most exciting fight they'd seen since Shiro escaped. It was definitely the closest fight Lotor had been in for a while.

He grinned and waved an arm to the crowd.

"There is no man who can beat me on my own ship." Lotor shouted and pumped a fist into the air, earning a cheer from the crowd. It was true that there was likely no man on this ship that could beat him, but his team however... He was glad that they were on his side. Lotor turned from the stands and picked up his sword. He sheathed what was left of it and left the arena. He didn't think he would be able to face anyone else that night. Shiro had already pushed him to his physical and mental edge. All he wanted to do now was return to his room and sleep.

* * *

 

Shiro was pushed into his cell by the guards and the door slammed shut behind them. He let out a small groan as he lifted himself from the floor, Lotor really hadn't held back. When he had seen who he was fighting, Shiro had assumed Lotor would be hesitant to strike. But what had happened a couple nights ago seemed to be completely erased from Lotor's mind. He supposed a life time of war could breed a mind which was able to block out anything other than winning the fight. He'd rushed in as well, he should have spent more time examining Lotor's movements, there must have been some opening he had missed.

He looked over his Galra arm, small scratches and dents scattered the surface, but nothing important was broken. He could still move all his fingers, and everything else moved as it should. His other arm was another story. Shiro clenched his hand, and stretched it out without much pain, hopefully his wrist was just sprained and not broken. He felt gross as well, his hair was damp with sweat and his shirt was beginning to stick to him uncomfortably. He hated the Galra, how they could sit and watch civilizations be destroyed, watch on as innocent prisoner after prisoner was murdered in that damn arena. He hated how he had became a piece of entertainment, an underdog who shouldn't be alive. He became the one they cheered for when he was put up against other prisoners. He couldn't remember much else about the arena, he knew he didn't want to kill anybody, and he knew he had killed some people. People's faces he couldn't remember, people he'd never said sorry to, or had the time to mourn properly. The emotions he'd kept locked up around the rest of team Voltron came gushing out. He stumbled backwards into the wall and slid down to the floor. He buried his hands into his eyes and felt his tears flow over them. He couldn't stand himself, how he'd let the Galra somehow manipulate him into killing so many innocent people. He hated the Galra for making him play their stupid games, and he hated Lotor for dragging him back into them, for making him play his own games as well.

His head hurt and his eyes felt dry as he stood up. Crying wasn't going to get him anywhere, his tears meant nothing to his enemies. He stared at the metal wall of his cell, the damned wall that separated him from his team. He punch the wall, and it barley left a scratch against the thick metal. He punched it again, and he felt a wave of pain travel up his left arm, but he wouldn't cry anymore. He punched the wall, if he couldn't make a hole in this wall, how could he destroy the Galra empire. He kept on punching and his arms felt like fire, but he didn't stop. He had to be stronger, he had to be better. He was going to show Lotor and the rest of the Galra just how terrifying he truly was.

 

* * *

Shiro. That was all Lotor could think about. Shiro was his only match in the arena, he'd never felt that thrill outside the battlefield. Shiro fought like his life depended on it, he fought filled with rage. But Shiro never let his emotions control him and fought smartly. While anger would usually make a person brash and clumsy, Shiro stayed alert and efficient. Lotor was almost afraid to fight him on one of his good days. For how much he thought about Shiro, he still couldn't get that girls face out of his mind. She'd likely been an innocent girl until the war overtook her home. The way she'd came after him, she was a girl with nothing left to loose. He hated it, how the Galra wanted him to fight helpless people, just to reaffirm their own superiority. He couldn't do anything though, he was the new leader, and few Galra actually acknowledged his authority. They had conservative minds and change wasn't welcome. If Zarkon were to ever return, there was no doubt that the Galra would push Lotor aside in favour of their old leader. If Lotor tried to change the war he would be banished, and whoever became the new leader would be as war-hungry as his father. He was doing what he could, but he knew it would never be enough.

Lotor went to sleep that night troubled. He knew his place, but he didn't want to stay there. Only the Galra benefitted from this war, and not even all the Galra agreed with the war. He had to stop this war himself, prove he was better than his father, prove to the whole Galaxy he wasn't bad. It was his job to stop Voltron, but what would stopping Voltron really accomplish? This was the reason he didn't like to think about things too much, he never knew which was right or wrong anymore, he didn't know what to do. It was easier to do what people wanted, to follow along until the right time. But he was beginning to doubt if that time would ever come.

There was a loud knocking on his door which woke Lotor up the next morning. He hurried off his bed, thankful he'd ended up falling asleep in his clothes for once. He quickly checked his face, he looked tiered, but makeup still covered up most of the bruise. It was good enough he supposed. He tied his hair back before answering the door, hoping it didn't look like he had just woken up.

The guard looked surprised to see him, but quickly covered it up and began talking.

"Sir, the black Paladin tried to escape last night."

Lotor felt a hundred thoughts run through his head at once, he clenched his hands and bit his tongue to stop it from showing. The guard took a step back, as if Lotor was about to hit him. It was better for Lotor if the guard thought he was angry, rather than know what he was actually thinking. Lotor closed his eyes and took a breath, then glared at the guard.

"Where is he now?"

"He in the solitary confinement unit now, Sir."

"Understood, you may leave now." Lotor said and closed the door on the guard. He had to see Shiro.

 

* * *

Shiro couldn't remember much from the previous night other than the mass of guards waiting for him on the other side of the wall. The next thing he knew he was in a new cell and in a new section of the ship. The guard schedule was different here, and two sets of feet were permanently by the door. He must have scared the Galra if they were guarding him this well. A set of footsteps approached the door, they weren't the same patrolling footsteps that droned on the hall way. Each step struck the ground with a threatening purpose. They stop outside his door and two voices mumble before the door is swung open. It is Lotor. Lotor takes a step inside the cell and the door closes behind him. Shiro glared at him, wanting to make him pay for all the pain he has caused over the galaxy. Shiro lunges for Lotor, but he is unable to hit Lotor due to the shackle around his ankle, chaining him to the wall.

"You're acting like an animal." Lotor said quietly.

"Maybe I wouldn't act this way if you didn't treat me like one." Shiro snarled. Lotor looks down at him, emotionless, maybe even a little sad. Shiro contemplated whether he should spit at Lotor's feet or not. Lotor took a step forward, Shiro could reach Lotor if he wanted to.

"Is this what you want?" Lotor asked looking from him to his ankles that were chained to the wall. Shiro took a step back so chains weren't pulling on his legs.

"What do you care what I want." Shiro said. Lotor is nothing more that a tyrant, messing with the heads of his enemies for his own satisfaction. Lotor opened and closed his mouth but he didn't say anything. Typical, Shiro thought, Lotor just wanted him to keep playing his games. Shiro wouldn't play the games anymore, he wouldn't let himself be a pawn to Lotor anymore, not matter what the consequences.

"I-" Lotor started, but looked behind himself hesitantly. 

"There's no cameras in here." Shiro said, Lotor cared about himself more than anything else. As long as he was comfortable, nothing else mattered.

"I'm sorry." Lotor said and looked away from Shiro. He wasn't sorry, Shiro knew Lotor would send him to the arena all over again if it meant he could sleep well at night. If Lotor expected Shiro to just accept his apology and go along with his sick fantasies, he had another thing coming. Shiro pushed Lotor and Lotor stumbled backwards,

"You're sorry? What about all those people who've died in this war? Are you sorry to them as well.

"Shiro," Lotor said, he looked like he wanted to say more but he remained silent. He took a step forward and held out his hand, "Shiro, please listen to me."

 "No." Shiro grabbed Lotor's wrist and pulled him to the wall. Lotor let himself be slammed against the wall, wincing is a little but not retaliating.

"You don't get to say sorry to me until you've apologized to everyone this war has hurt."

Something twisted on Lotor's face, and he hated it. He grabbed Lotor's throat and pushed Lotor against the wall. Lotor grabbed at Shiro's fingers, and tried to pull them away. Shiro ignored Lotor's scrambling and held on. He could kill Lotor now. He could escape this prison, maybe even end the war.

"You're," Lotor struggled out under his grip, "better than this Shiro." He stared at Shiro. What the hell was Lotor saying.

"You don't know anything about me." Shiro said he could feel his emotions boiling over. "You don't know me. You don't know what I'm capable of."

"You wouldn't," Lotor started, his words being cut off by Shiro's grip. "You're not a murdered." Lotor struggled to say. Shiro looked Lotor in the eye, as if he would be able to tell the true intentions of Lotor's words. Of course Lotor would say anything to make Shiro free him. However, Lotor only looked at Shiro fearfully.

"I've killed a lot of people." Shiro said, thinking of all the Galra soldiers he'd killed to stop the war, "what makes you any different?"

"I'm not —," Lotor struggles for breath, "Your enemy."

Lotor looked at Shiro pleadingly, he was trying to tell Shiro something. Shiro gritted his teeth and let go of Lotor, he wanted to know what Lotor wanted. Lotor bent over and tried to catch his breath, shaking with each heavy breath he took.

"Why shouldn't I kill you here and now." Shiro said, he wanted to hear what Lotor had to say, he was the one who had came all the way to him after all.

"Because you'll die as well." Lotor said between breaths. He stood up and looked at Shiro, and Shiro noticed how Lotor kept his hand on his neck. "I'm the only one stopping you from being executed or sent back to the labs. Voltron needs you more than you want me to die." Lotor was right, and Shiro hated that. He wasn't comfortable being this indebted to Lotor. He didn't understand why Lotor would do this.

"And why are you not my enemy?" Shiro asked

"There are Galra out there who just want the war for the fun of it. I'm not even sure if this war if good."

"So you want to stop the war?"

"I'm not sure yet."

This shocked Shiro, he'd thought Lotor was just like all the other Galra. If Lotor wasn't on the side of war, he made the Galra weaker.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop them." Lotor said quietly. Shiro sighed,

"You're the emperor of the Galra, you could of tried harder." Shiro said.

"You're smart Shiro, you know my position isn't as stable as it seems."

Shiro had no idea where Lotor got the idea that he was smart, he was just a gifted pilot who had great instincts to rely on. It was news to him that Lotor's position wasn't stable. Did the Galra not accept their new leader? If so, that was great for him. Lotor didn't have complete control, and there was likely many who would go behind Lotor's back if it meant their own position would raise. No wonder he had been so secretive as well, interacting with Shiro too much would have looked like he was plotting against them.

"I'm sorry about using you as well. I just wanted you to trust me, I didn't want you to see me just as the emperor of the Galra."

Was Lotor really that simple Shiro thought in shock,

"You just wanted to be friends?" Shiro asked, hoping he was wrong.

"More or less." Lotor said and he looked away ashamed. Lotor didn't have some devious plan to make Shiro hate himself, he was just misguided. Very misguided. There was one thing that bother Shiro. He pulled out the chord of string from under his shirt and let it sit in his hand.

"What is this?"

Lotor had given him a black necklace with a crystal tied into it, the crystal was only the length of about half his finger and was a white clouded colour.

"A gift." Lotor said, looking from shiro to the crystal. "I don't want to be indebted to you, so I gave you it."

"That's what you were thinking?" Shiro wondered out loud. He thought it was Lotor's way of 'owning' him, but now Shiro thought Lotor gave it to him as an apology.

"Why do you even want to know me?" Shiro asked, trying to decipher Lotor.

"I'm a leader and fighter, you know that. But— Nothing can control you, you are as free as the time that bends this whole universe together. I want what you have, I want to be free. I may be the most important person here, but you will be more important than I ever was, for better, or for worse."

This wasn't a clone of Zarkon, Shiro was sure of that. This was a young man trying to play a part in a world that was too big for him. Shiro felt a shift inside of him. Lotor was once just a spoiled prince who was too naïve to see the pain he was causing. Lotor had appeared to wear the face of someone who had won wars, who would kill without heisation, but Shiro could see past that now. He saw a facade, and a person who would give his all on the battle field because he felt as if he had nothing more to loose, that it might be better for him to die. Shiro didn't realize it at first, but he was clutching the necklace Lotor had given him, and the crystal had began to jab into his skin. He tucked it back under his shirt and sighed. He walked over to the bed in the room and sat on it, he needed to think.

"You can go now." He said to Lotor. "But call me up tomorrow, I want to talk to you."

 

* * *

Lotor looked at him for a moment thankful that Shiro didn't hate him, but he didn't look entirely happy either.

"Thank you." Lotor said and turned to the door. He took a moment to breathe before he left. He walked out the room stone faced.

"Nobody comes in or out of that room for the rest of the day." Lotor said to a nearby guard before he walked back to his room.

He had to be quick, he had a meeting regarding his plans to stop Voltron in a couple minutes, but no mater how he tried to push Shiro to the back of his mind, it was all he could think about. He'd really said all that, became so open and vulnerable around his greatest enemy. Was Shiro even his enemy anymore? He felt sick, he'd been foolish to trust Shiro. He should have never seen Shiro to begin with. He should have just used him as a bargaining chip or trump card whenever he needed to win a battle. He didn't even know what he was saying when he talked to Shiro, thoughts he'd never let himself think up until then had came spilling out without even having time to think about what he said. And now Shiro wanted to talk to him tomorrow, what did he want. Shiro had almost killed him back there. He needed to calm down, he would be able to fix everything, he just needed some time to decide what he wanted to do. It would turn out ok, it always did, if Shiro had wanted to kill him, he would already be dead, somehow opening up to Shiro had made him sober from being enraged to his 'normal' self, what ever Shiro's normal was. Lotor pushed his thought's of Shiro down, it was a later problem. Until then he had to focus on keeping his position as Prince Lotor, heir to the Galra empire.


End file.
